H.S. FOOTBALL: Shippensburg runs past Greencastle-Antrim

SHIPPENSBURG — Despite rarely being recognized, football games tend to be won or lost in the trenches.

Greencastle-Antrim found that out the hard way on Friday night, losing the battle up front to a physical Shippensburg team which rushed 54 times for 416 yards en route to a 36-17 Mid-Penn Colonial Division victory.

"I want to give Shippensburg a lot of credit," G-A head coach Chuck Tinninis said. "We were throwing everything at them defensively and they were still able to run the ball on us. They controlled the line of scrimmage and they're just a good football team with very few weaknesses."

The Greyhounds (6-1, 4-0 MPC-Colonial) leaned on their backfield trio of William Burt, Ty Kater and Tony Johnson from the opening whistle, with Burt racking up 212 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns complemented by Kater's 151 yards and two scores.

Aside from Shippensburg being able to control the tempo on the ground, the Blue Devils (2-5, 1-3 MPC-Colonial) turned the ball over three times, with G-A now committing nine turnovers during its current three-game losing streak.

"We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot," Tinninis said. "I thought we came out and played with some fire, but the turnovers really hurt us again. I was proud of the way we kept battling, even with the turnovers, but we need to do a better job taking care of the ball."

Early on, it appeared Friday's contest might turn into a high-scoring shootout, with both teams finding the end zone less than two minutes into the first quarter.

A 39-yard touchdown run by Kater put Shippensburg on the board just 1:29 in before G-A answered a mere 21 seconds later.

On their first offensive snap, quarterback Austin Scott launched a deep pass down the right sideline intended for Hunter Szaflarski, with the Blue Devil signal caller hitting his receiver in stride for a 68-yard scoring strike to tie the game at 8-8 following a two-point conversion.

After forcing a pair of Shippensburg three-and-outs, G-A took over at the Greyhounds' 40 before a 31-yard gain by Kareem Aiken set up a 24-yard field goal by Luke Bitner, giving the Blue Devils an 11-8 lead with 43 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

The advantage would be short-lived however, as Burt broke loose for a 70-yard touchdown two plays later, reclaiming the lead for Shippensburg as time expired on the first 12 minutes of play.

With G-A unable to capitalize on a 42-yard punt return by Josh Young that positioned the offense near midfield, the Greyhounds continued to pound away on their ensuing possession, putting together an 11-play drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown run from Burt and a 22-11 Shippensburg lead.

Two plays later, the Greyhounds recovered the first of three lost fumbles by the Blue Devils at G-A's 37, with Burt's third touchdown, this time from 25 yards out, abruptly extending the advantage to 29-11.

Page 2 of 2 - In need of a response before the half, Scott again hooked up with Szaflarski for a big gain through the air, with the 35-yard completion spotting the ball at the Shippensburg 7. On second-and-goal, Scott handled the rest, plunging in on a quarterback keeper to cut the deficit to 29-17 heading into the locker room.

The score stood until 4:29 remaining in the third, when Kater took a hand-off up the middle and broke free for a 69-yard trip to paydirt, pushing the lead to 19 entering the fourth.

A Shippensburg fumble recovered by Bobby Rider presented G-A with its best opportunity in the final frame, taking over possession at the Greyhounds' 33. Following another Scott-to-Szaflarski connection that set up first-and-goal at the 9-yard-line, the Blue Devils failed to cash in, with Shippensburg forcing a turnover on downs after coming up with a stop on fourth-and-short less than a yard from the goal line to essentially seal the victory.

Despite coming in a losing effort, Szaflarski had arguably his best performance to date, emerging as Scott's go-to target in the absence of Joel Zola, finishing with 144 receiving yards while adding 55 yards on the ground, leading the team in both categories.

"Hunter played a great game, both offensively and defensively," Tinninis said. "He's a good player and pound-for-pound, he's one of the toughest kids around."

Listed at just 5-7, Szaflarski also recorded seven tackles from his cornerback spot, matching teammate Matt Montedoro's total while coming one shy of Holden Baker's team-high eight stops on the night.

G-A will look to get back on track next Friday as the Blue Devils host Big Spring (1-6, 1-3 MPC-Colonial) for homecoming while Shippensburg travels to Dillsburg to take on Northern York (6-1, 4-0 MPC-Colonial) in a Colonial showdown that will likely determine the eventual division champion.